The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy

The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy The s country house party packed with crooks cops and the usual suspects frame the perfect scene of the crime This one assembles all the right ingredients the theft of the fabled diamond necklac

Title: The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy

Author: James Anderson

ISBN: 9781590580974

Page: 399

Format: Paperback

The 1930s country house party packed with crooks, cops, and the usual suspects frame the perfect scene of the crime This one assembles all the right ingredients the theft of the fabled diamond necklace, the purloined antique pistols, the secret passage, the ravishing baroness with a past, the body in the lake What a pretty puzzle Don t expect me to solve anything, The 1930s country house party packed with crooks, cops, and the usual suspects frame the perfect scene of the crime This one assembles all the right ingredients the theft of the fabled diamond necklace, the purloined antique pistols, the secret passage, the ravishing baroness with a past, the body in the lake What a pretty puzzle Don t expect me to solve anything, Inspector Wilkens announces But of course, he does theft, espionage, impersonations triple, at the very least , blackmail, murder.The suspects include a noble host and hostess, a jewel thief and foreign agents in disguise, bright young things, mysterious mature men, a Texas millionaire, and, of course, the butler.Crime connoisseurs will recognize the ingredients for a zany pastiche, a delightful romp paying tribute to the past while titillating the present.And what does the blood stained egg cozy have to do with anything

One thought on “The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy”

Oh, boy! This is a good one. Written in 1975 and reprinted by the Poisoned Pen Press, James Anderson's The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy, set in the 1930s, has it all, starting with a classical-era detective who warns everyone at the very start that he's no good at this job and has been promoted above his abilities and that he yearns to be back on the uniformed force. But this modest, self-deprecating sleuth ("I'm not sanguine. Not sanguine at all" - think Peter Falk's Columbo) manages to [...]

In a re-release of this 1975 gem, author James Anderson has penned a lovely — and loving — send-up of that old chestnut, the British house-party cozy mystery. Gathering for a weekend party at the West Country mansion of Alderley, owned by the stereotypically bluff Earl of Burford, are his diplomat brother, two Duchy diplomats there to conclude negotiations with Britain, a Texan oil tycoon and his wife, a travelogue writer, an insufferable bore, a shadowy French baroness, and a plucky gal-pal [...]

I'll tell you up front I'm not going to give a plot summary, there are enough of those out there. This book doesn't take itself too seriously but has a complex murder mystery and believable likeable characters. There are three loosely related books in this trilogy. They all take place in a British Earl's country mansion: Adlderly, between the world wars and within a few months of each other. I read the third one first but the order doesn't really matter. The house, family and detective are the s [...]

I really enjoyed this wonderful crime novel. It was very reminiscent of of a Christie novel and oozing with charm and and elegance. The characters were a delight, the plot intriguing and the denouement a surprise. I shall be reading the other books in this series, just a shame there are only 2 more.

A fun and cosy murder mystery that reminds me of a cross between Poirot and Columbo set in an English country manor house. There are several intricate mysteries that weave together to a satisfying conclusion.

I had this book for Christmas and have been looking forward to a bit of country house murder-mystery escapism. I wasn't disappointed - this novel really has all the ingredients of a goold old fashioned style who-dunnit. Aristocrats, people who are not whom they are supposed to be, diplomats. politicians, an American millionaire, a beautiful baroness. Two robberies and two murders, and most of the household creeping around a large country house, in the dark during a thunder storm. A clever intric [...]

Completely mad but completely and utterly brilliant! James Anderson gently pokes fun at the country house murder mystery genre. I say gently because there is no malice here (Anderson's love of the genre clearly shines through) and it reads just as well as any Agatha Christie novel. The plot was quite complex but I would have been disappointed otherwise and it kept you guessing till the end - now that was a surprise! And I love a book that gives you a plan of the house and a cast of characters at [...]

A country house mystery set in the late 1930s at Lord and Lady Burford's country pad. Guests arrive, some unexpected, some from overseas and everything is set for an enjoyable weekend. But things go wrong, antique pistols go missing, murder is committed and suddenly everyone is a suspect. Inspector Wilkins, a reluctant inspector, arrives to sort things out but needs the help of one of the guests, who turns out to be not what he purports to be, as do some of the other guests. Wilkins eventually u [...]

This is a very fun English country house murder mystery. What I especially liked was how it puts forth a serious face, discussing Hitler, the war, and upper level political intrigue, but then it breaks out into an old fashioned comedy of manners. This contrast between light and heavy hovers in the background throughout. The mystery is complex with clues and motives all over the place, but there really is no way to solve it on your own. That does not lessen the satisfaction of having everything t [...]

Although this book was written in the 70's it has the feel of the era in which it was set, a little before the Second World War. A good old fashioned country house murder mystery, with the emphasis on the mystery, and lots of twists and turns along the way.

I was lucky enough to spend a week in London at the end of October. Last time in London, I read a Regency romance while having high tea at Fortnum and Mason. I decided to continue the tradition of reading a book set in England while I was there. I went to the Waterstone's at Trafalgar Square and fell in love with this book cover and the title. The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy, what a perfect title! The book is set in England just before the start of WWII, at an old English manor. Oooh, lo [...]

1930s country house mysteries, with these 2 books written in 1975 and 1981 respectively. As convoluted as anything written by Agatha Christie or Dorothy Sayers, and in fact various characters mention meeting with both Poirot and Lord Peter Whimsey! In book 1, a small central European duchy is concerned by the rise of Hitler, and enter into negotiations with Britain for protection. The talks are arranged to be held secretly, under the guise of a weekend house party, at the estate of the Earl of B [...]

This is the first of the Inspector Wilkins Series.That this novel was first published in 1975 and is still selling well with lots of fans all these years later, is a testament to it and the cosy mystery genre.As a cosy parody, it has everything – literally everything. It becomes quite serious towards the end, and the answer is provided for pretty much everything. I read it over a period of time which I think was a mistake, because I found it difficult to get properly engaged with the many stor [...]

Tongue in cheek cosy mystery. As a cosy mystery, this has literally everything. Set in the 1930's , manor house weekend party, everyone with secrets, red herrings galore, dead bodies, and an old fashioned whodunnit. In my opinion Its aimed at Christie fans, same era , genre, etclook, this isn't in the same league as Agatha Christie. Yet, it does mirror her books with settings, plots, in a fun way and I think her fans will like them. It's well written, good characters and a really enjoyable Engli [...]

Fun, although I would have liked a bit more character (archetype?) development and a little less of who was where when.I'm probably being too harsh as I'm currently also reading The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse and any country house farce is going to appear average in comparison with the Master.

Quite the corker of a mystery, golden-age inspired, though written in the seventies. A decade whose chief influence on the tale seems to be a Columbo-inspired inspector who attempts (grumpily, reluctantly) to untangle the Country House mystery that involves murder, blackmail, national security and more. Really delightful and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Light-hearted country house murder mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie. British aristocrats rub shoulders with foreign diplomats until somebody ends up dead. Twists, turns and red-herrings all over the place. I really enjoyed it.

International diplomatic negotiations must be held in the utmost secrecy, and fast. A country house belonging to the titled older brother of the British negotiator is selected for the talks. But there are other people at the house party used as cover, and some of them may be there for nefarious purposes, however innocuous their cover story! Are these potential villains after the glittering pearl necklace of a visiting American? Her husband's priceless gun (he's a collector)? Or are they intendin [...]

It can take a while for a new series to get going and it did feel a little like it took some time for this book to get going, however – the setup was well done and once events started rolling – Oh wow! This, for me, is up with the best of the best of the “English Manor House Murder” genre. Really like the plot developments and the characters…though I am not quite sure to what to expect from future books since the series is “the Buford family” mysteries. Hmm…something to figure ou [...]

Disparate people descend on an English manor where mysterious activities, dead of night cavorting, a thunderstorm, two murders, a jewel heist, and weaponry all entangle the reader. Misdirection, false leads and red herrings abound through the story. The inevitable drawing room denouement was extremely long, but provided some surprises. The narration was highly appropriate, especially the butler's rolled "Rs." This book will appeal to fans of traditional British manor & drawing room cosy myst [...]

A house party in Alderley, owned by the Earl of Burford, to finalize the negotiations between Britain and the Duchy, led to blackmail, the theft of a necklace and a pair of Bergman Bayards, mysterious goings-on in the house dead at night, guests who are drugged, bashed on the head, and even murdered, and to a final twist in the end. An entertaining read.

I enjoyed this book but one thing did bother me. Everyone seemed to know the time they were doing things down to the exact minute. Good grief - how were they to know that in a pitch dark house at night!Oh and be prepared for a VERY long and detailed explanation of how everything happened at the end!

The title is misleading. I thought this would be a fluff romp - sort of a Christie spoof. But it's not as light as I assumed. Not bad though - full of the usual English country house characters but with a more political bent.

A Country-House murder mystery that combines elements of two of my favourite authors: Christie and Wodehouse. I was so charmed that I immediately ordered an omnibus edition. One to treasure.*First Line: "How well do you know Adolf Hitler?"First published: 1975Source: Open Library

I really enjoyed this . If you fancy something a bit Agatha Christie I would recommend this and the police man sort of reminded me of Columbo but in a good way as I don't like the programme. The plot was good the characters likeable and it moves along at nice pace .